Yes, you’re probably right about your improvements. I discovered this Web site quite recently actually, and I haven’t been visiting it so often, but from what I’ve seen and read so far you have improved your presentation skills.

Compared to other Web sites alike, one thing I really enjoy and like about this one are the graphics, illustrations and or screenshots which complete the articles/guides/tutorials very nicely. This is a good complement for those who are visually minded who prefer to see to learn and understand things.

Different subjects of course require different approaches, but when ever possible I see that you try to put up some graphics on that as well. That’s good, I like that. It requires more time to do but it’s definitely worth it.

I’ve actually started to visit your Web site on a more regular basis because I really enjoy reading your articles. Keep up the good work!

I completely agree with you about only showing how to do something one-way. The problem with that is that a mixture of people with very limited to very advanced Windows knowledge visit this site. My goal is to help as many people as possible.

Windows makes it hard sometimes to show how to do something because of the way it is designed. The control panel is one of them. I try to meet in the middle when I come across these problems.

This is also an earlier guide I have written. I have learned how to write better guides since then.

Why not?…

Shouldn’t it say “The driver is NOW uninstalled”?

Otherwise, this is a nice tip and I’m sure many people will find it useful. The Classic View of the Control Panel is not necessary thou, the Vista style organization of the Control Panel options can be used as well. It even requires fewer clicks then the Classic View.

The standard Vista view requires 1 click on “System and Maintenance”, 1 click on “Device Manager”, that’s 2 clicks. The Classic View on the other hand requires a double-click (2) on “System”, 1 click on “Device Manager” on the left sidebar, plus the 1 extra click on the “Classic View” link on the Control Panel Home page in order to show the “Classic View” which is not the default option and is therefore necessary to be changed on most of the PCs where the user haven’t change it already. That’s 4 clicks compared to the 2 clicks needed when the default Vista view is used. That’s twice as many clicks.

One thing I’ve learned through helping people with their PCs is that less is more. The less steps they have to make, the faster we can solve the problem, and the less they get confused. When they have too many steps to make, they get confused and go elsewhere in the menus and options then I told them to go to. While they are at it they change settings for which they think is the one I’m explaining, and then I have to tell them to set these back as they were before (if they remember it that is). That only slows us both down.

This applies especially when both of us don’t see the PC monitor or have access to the same information (technical documentation and other materials), i.e. help via telephone or e-mail. But when you got screenshots or screen captures of the users screen where you can at least see the program windows and messages, or the user got captures of your screen, that makes it a lot easier to guide the user through the steps. I think this especially applies to the “generation x” people, while most of the “generation y” or “Internet generation” people don’t even need help with these things, or when they do they understand and remember the steps instantly once you have shown it to them.

I think the worst thing you can do is to write a guide with nested and messy instructions, i.e. “click here and there if the default Vista view is shown, otherwise click here if the Classic View is shown, to choose a view click…” I think that’s just useless. It’s too much information at once for someone who sees the Control Panel in Windows for the first time. I don’t expect you to do this kind of “compromise”. Only choose one way to explain it. It’s like mathematics, there are several ways to solve a problem, but you don’t need to understand them all to solve the problem. I personally believe that the most simple way is the best way and the first thing one should understand. Therefore, I think that Vistas default Control Panel view is the best.